


Warmth In Winter

by lokideadinside



Series: AFTG Winter Jam 2020 [2]
Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Fireplaces, Implied childhood trauma, M/M, Multi, Naked Cuddling, Neil Josten loves Andrew Minyard, No Sex, Not Beta Read, POV Neil Josten, Touch-Averse Andrew Minyard, Touch-Starved Neil Josten
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:02:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28252098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lokideadinside/pseuds/lokideadinside
Summary: An inside look for College Senior Neil Josten's thoughts this Holiday season. (Mostly about Andrew, sh.)
Relationships: Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard
Series: AFTG Winter Jam 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2063409
Kudos: 54
Collections: #AFTGWinterJam 2020





	Warmth In Winter

**Author's Note:**

> For AFTG Winter Jam on twitter. You can be find them here [@aftgwinterjam](https://twitter.com/aftgwinterjam)
> 
> Dec 22 Prompt : Bundling Up/Fireside.
> 
> There's a fire in this. It's by the fire. They are bundled together. I did it.  
> Apologies that this one is shorter than the last. Writing isn't my strong point and adding relationships and feelings doesn't help. Hope you enjoy anyways.
> 
> a playlist i made to listen to while you read: [aftg // warmth in winter](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6BjOH6F20R4Vs4cMm0odSV?si=S9oBKsTvQmaNn9bqPyRliw)
> 
> disclaimer: characters belong to nora sakavic.

The sound of the fire mixed with the easygoing and inaudible conversations of the other boosts a consciousness of home and solace in Neil’s chest he’s never experienced before joining the Foxes. He walks around the couches and sits with Robin, who had her feet kicked out over the love seat to save it for him and Andrew. She pulls her feet back in and curls up in a ball as both Neil and Andrew take their spots.

Neil smiles, an appreciative little grin if any, at her when he notices everyone else was either squished together on the longer couch or on the ground. He leans into the couch and feels Andrew’s body heat next him. 

Since both took their top few layers off at the door, both only had their turtlenecks and pants left. Andrew’s turtleneck was a short sleeve one that caps over his shoulders and clings to his shoulders and chest while Neil’s was a long sleeve turtleneck and much looser. Both were wearing their arm bands. You could only tell Neil was by the fabric around his hand as his arm bands had thumb holes. 

Neil hums smoothly and thanks Abby as she walks around the coffee table and people on the ground to pass them their own blanket. Robin had one herself, but he could tell she wasn’t willing to share by the way she tucked herself in. 

Andrew just nods as a form of gratitude to Abby before putting the blanket over the both of them. Neil ignores the ‘aw’s coming from the others and moves a little closer to Andrew so they can share the blanket. Their shoulders, now touching, were relaxed and Neil could almost feel Andrew’s skin through his shirt.

Sitting, curled together in little individual bundles, the foxes watch as Wymack stands in front of the TV, trying to get the DVD player to work so they can watch the Grinch. 

Andrew and Neil didn’t curl up like the other couples around them, but Neil does feel the warmth of Andrew’s hand as he places his hand on Neil’s thigh, softly squeezing the spot just above his knee. Neil hides his grin behind the oversized and loose neck of his turtleneck. He looks to him out of the corner of his eye before loosely placing his hand on Andrew’s hand, willing to let Andrew knock it off if he wishes.

He doesn’t as Andrew shows no reaction to Neil’s hands outside of lacing their fingers together with his palm still pressed to Neil’s thighs.

God, the grip Andrew had on his heart was secure and borderline jerking his heart straight from his chest for Andrew to have to hold within his calloused hands. The overwhelmingly euphoric feeling that came from shared this little concealed tenderness between each other that no one else got the luxury of knowing. 

Once Wymack got the movie to work and everyone got comfortable to watch the movie.

Neil was surrounded by feelings of found family and sound of faint chatter, giggling and the movie droning on about the history of the Grinch and Whoville. He basked in the warmth of the fireplace Wymack had started when they got back and basked in the warmth he felt in his heart.

It’s only with his family that he lets himself soften like this, after all these years together. Only them. They were the only ones to warm the ice that developed during his time on the run and broke down his walls. 

He sits there, enjoying the soft level of noise built and enjoys the warmth of Andrew’s hand in his hand. He enjoys the warmth shared between him and Andrew’s sides as they were so delicately pressed together. He hums softly as he watches the Grinch ruin Christmas and thinks back to all the holidays spent by Andrew’s side with their own families and such. Five years ago, he would laugh at thinking of the former upperclassman (beside Renee) as Andrew’s family, but they were his and well. 

What is Neil’s is Andrew’s. And the same the other way around.

They were partners. Equals.

Neil thinks back to all the pain and struggles they went through to be right here. Right at this point in time. Right here, holding hands, enjoying some dumb Christmas movie that Andrew says he hates but Neil knows he adores it. 

He didn’t think he deserves this second chance, but Andrew did. Andrew gave him this second chance. This chance to be Neil Josten. 

Everyday Neil was thankful to be Neil Josten and to be the one hand picked by Andrew himself to stand by his side. It was one of the highest honors given to him by anyone. And he knows Andrew knew this because they may not talk with many words, they talked with action and every action of Neil’s to Andrew is one of devotion and respect. 

Neil didn’t believe in soulmates, especially two people as different as him and Andrew seemed, but he felt there was some familiarity between each other. There was a sense of looking into another person’s eyes and seeing the galaxies in their eyes. Or even looking into their eyes and seeing who they used to be and the change to where they are now and understanding. 

The understanding. 

That’s the most important part. It’s not about lust or something else. It’s looking into each other’s eyes and understanding how they got there and respecting them for it. It doesn’t matter what they had to do to get there. They got there. 

This is why Andrew and him fit. 

The understanding. The respect. The familiarity.

All those things balled up into one feeling in Neil’s chest and screams at him to keep Andrew and never let him go.

So he made a compromise with himself and said he’d stay with Andrew as long as Andrew is willing to let him stay. It seems to be a while. 

He was so lost in his thoughts that when he felt a pressure on his shoulder he froze. He glances to the side at what was there.

All he saw was Andrew’s blond hair against his shoulder. 

He takes a sharp breath in and relaxes as Andrew’s body leans into him like he had passed out.

But. But he hasn’t. 

Neil only knew this because he could feel the faint feeling of Andrew’s eyes blinking. The movement was slow like someone falling asleep but fighting it. 

He squeezes Andrew’s hand to get his attention. Andrew sits up, sleepy but alert as he turns to Neil. He hums and raises a brow.

Neil grins at the rare scene in front of him. 

A moderate Andrew who was very obviously tired. Skating must have taken a lot out of him even though they weren’t there for too long. Andrew had been doing some more exercises recently for professional training so maybe that’s it. Who knows. Neil just knew there was something delicate and rewarding to see Andrew this trusting of him.

“Let’s move into the guest room, babe.”

Neil watches Andrew’s eyes dilate and his eyes widen slightly before glancing at the others.

Neil let out a soft little laugh when he realized where Andrew’s mind went. He should have realized himself. He shook his head and just whispers, “To sleep, dingus”

Andrew made a very tired but annoyed and exhausted expression at the name calling. He nods and they get up, carefully not to wake Robin, who fell asleep on the couch beside them. Neil deals with letting Wymack know they were retiring for the night in his guest room before following Andrew’s little zombie walk upstairs.

Once upstairs, Andrew drops onto the bed like a seal flopping on land— very unattractive. But fuck if it didn’t make Neil’s body burn and ache. He watches Andrew wrestle off his pants for a second before going over to their bags to get their pajamas. 

He feels as Andrew hits him with his clothings he had taken off at him. Neil turns around to see Andrew in nothing— he was naked, even without his arm bands. Neil’s eyes widened and forced his eyes up to Andrew’s face, who was tired but amused that he just made Neil’s face as red as his hair. 

His heart pounds as Andrew’s deepened (from sleep) voice cuts through the tension like a knife. 

“Come on. Don’t worry about the clothes.”

Neil locks the door before taking off his own clothing, but stops at his underwear and armbands, waiting for approval from Andrew before he does.

Andrew huffs and a small little game of “yes or no” broke out (the answer was yes, like most of always.) before grabbing in a way that looked rough in visuals, but was very gentle in action. He pulls off one armband before holding his hand out for the other, which Neil handed over without much thought. 

Once Andrew finished undressing Neil’s most bottom layers of clothing. He tugs him into the bed. They lay in bed together, close enough for them to feel each other’s body heat but not quite touching before Neil turns, giving his back to Andrew.

Andrew huffs and moves in, pulling Neil’s body flush to his own. They lay together curled under the blanket, without an extra layer between them. They’ve done this before. With sexual assistance or without. 

This was Neil’s favorite way to sleep. 

To be bare to Andrew and Andrew alone. It took a while before they felt secure to lay this way. Before they were too agitated by the idea of one of Nathan’s men finding them or of Ichirou showing up in the middle of the night again. 

Now they felt secure. Especially now when Neil was laying in the arms of his home, in the one place he felt secure and safe. 

Neil could feel Andrew’s breathing fade until a slow rhythm against his neck and Andrew’s heartbeat against his back. It made his own race to the level of vulnerability they were at. It felt raw to be laying here, spooning in the guest room of the only man Andrew trusted to be a father figure for him, to be cared for by Andrew. To be loved this way. In this unspoken sense of way that just screams everything that people were worried they lacked because of their histories.

With Andrew gone to dreamland, Neil was left to his thoughts alone, but this time it’s different than all the times before Andrew when he was alone to his thoughts. 

This time he could only think of his own growth and how far he has come. He’s much older than he ever imagined he’d be when he lost his mom and even then he knew it was a matter of time before their past came for them.

He felt the same claws of sleep take claim over him that took hold of Andrew. He brings up Andrew's hand up to his lips and kisses them, causing Andrew to grip his hand more firmly but not wake.

He lets himself drift to sleep knowing he was in the one place he longed for while on the run. 

He was home. He was with his home. 

He had a home.

**Author's Note:**

> The next one is gonna be in the same universe so if you want to act like it's the next day to this one, you can. They all tie together. See you then.
> 
> Check my twitter for the moodboards, if you so wish.
> 
> You can find me on twitter [@og_cryptid](https://twitter.com/og_cryptid)


End file.
